What Does “Basic” Mean?

“You’re so basic. That's so basic."

The word basic is the only word out of approximately 170,000 words in the Oxford English Dictionary that perplexes me. 

What the fuck does the word basic mean? 

According to the dictionary, the term basic means unoriginal, unexceptional, and mainstream, but I sincerely do not understand why people use it with a derogatory connotation. Everyone has different opinions on being basic so I cannot infer for everyone, but it is typically conveyed mockingly.

Maybe I’m confused and offended by the word basic because I am one, but who isn’t basic? I am a firm believer that everything in this world is based on inspiration, meaning you could have the most iconic fur jacket and many people think you're unique for the outfit. But if you were inspired by someone on TikTok and luckily found something similar at the vintage store, wouldn’t that hypothetically make you unoriginal, hence basic? I get confused because we all are unique and unoriginal simultaneously since our uniqueness comes from an exquisite selection of prior knowledge or other's work. So why do people describe something as basic in such a negative way? 

You know what also shocked me recently? When my friend told me he thinks Ferrari Roma is a basic car because it looks like Aston Martin's Vantage. THE Ferrari Roma, a very beautifully engineered and designed car, is BASIC??? Flabbergasted. Baffled. Bomboclat. Before I get canceled, I apologize for using the term Bomboclat because I learned it is a vulgar word and could get arrested in Jamaica... I agree that Roma looks like Vantage, but describing Roma as a basic car takes this game to another level. Since we all have different standards in what we find special and unique with valid reasons, can we ever condescend something or someone as basic? I don’t think so. 

I may be overly sensitive to some words—certainly basic—but I would like to conclude by appreciating basicness. I think being basic allows us to interpret and live simply, and easily connect with strangers by acknowledging something mainstream. For example, at least your conversation about Drake's new album would get you somewhere because many people know and have opinions about his songs or him. Also, I just realized why I find being basic so puzzling: it's because I interpret being basic as being meaningless. AHA! So, let’s stop being a hater and appreciate basicness.

I must admit, I yapped nonsense once again on this platform. And I probably explained in the most basic way ever. However, I enjoyed exploring this topic, so thank you for reading.

Don’t miss me too much until my next blog.

Chinie, xoxo